Todd Pletcher

SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. - Sovereignty (Into Mischief) stayed put at Hall of Fame trainer Bill Mott's barn Saturday morning. His scheduled workout had been scrapped, and the 4-year-old colt passed the time surveying the scene from his stall on a perfect late summer day. After developing an abscess in a hind foot the day before, Sovereignty's training has grinded to a halt. His next start, a highly anticipated showdown with Japan's Forever Young (Jpn) ({Real Steel {Jpn}) in the GI Jockey Club Gold Cup on Sept. 18 ,has suddenly become...

Saratoga Maidens, presented by Keeneland On a day that showcased yet another convergence of juvenile talent at Saratoga, Pharocity (American Pharoah) stamped himself as the newest 'TDN Rising Star, presented by Hagyard' to watch with a sterling victory during New York's marquee summer meeting. Coming into this unveiling, the colt had already tipped his hand that he had the gas to run rivals off their feet with four consecutive bullet works between July 21 and Aug. 16 both at this venue and at Churchill Downs. Of his last eight works,...

Liam's Law (Colonel Liam) led through easy fractions and dug down gamely in the stretch to hold off his unlucky and favored Todd Pletcher-trained stablemate Bold Leadership (Not This Time) by a neck in the scratched-down GIII With Anticipation S. at Saratoga Saturday. Perfect Dream (Corniche) rounded out the trio. Bold Leadership, off as the 1-2 favorite following a wide trip debut second, leapt in the air at the break and spent most of the race in third while 7-5 second-choice Liam's Law got away to a beautiful beginning and...

SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. - The first Friday of September brought a sunny, crystal clear morning to Saratoga Race Course. It also brought a blur of a racehorse just after 7 a.m. on the main track. Phileas Fogg (Astern {Aus}) and jockey Kendrick Carmouche whizzed past the far turn and barreled into the stretch, completing a five-furlong work in :59.44 (1/4). It's been a bit since we've seen Phileas Fogg at the races--62 days to be exact. When he last ran on July 4, Phileas Fogg buried 10 rivals in the...

1st-SAR, $115K, Msw, 2yo, 7f, 12:05 p.m. ET. Lance Gasaway, Daniel Hamby, and Brent and Sharilyn Gasaway's 4 G Racing celebrated mightily when Mystik Dan (Goldencents) won the 2024 GI Kentucky Derby. Now the same connections are sending out the Derby hero's half-brother in MYSTIK BAYOU (Wells Bayou). Out of Ma'am (Colonel John), the Oklahoma-bred was sent to Kenny McPeek. "If you are familiar with Wells Bayou then you know he won the Louisiana Derby and was headed to the Kentucky Derby," said Sharilyn Gasaway. "COVID hit and the Derby...

"Anyone can play our game," says Sean Perl with a shrug. "So walk outside and raise your hand." We're talking during the recent Fasig-Tipton July Sale: a recalibration, start of a new yearling cycle, but essentially just another variation of an infinitely repeating challenge, with Thoroughbreds of every kind, to come out the right side of value. "Which is why I'm usually involved in the marketplace from sun-up to sundown," Perl continues. "Because you never know when the next one's going to come through the ring. That might be the...

SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. - Early Sunday morning, just after 6, trainer Brad Cox pulled up to his barn at the Oklahoma Training Track. He walked the shedrow, then checked on his horses along with his son--and assistant--Blake before departing for Albany International Airport and a flight home to Louisville, Ky. Cox also did his obligations with a quartet of writers who were waiting for him before the sun came up. They wanted to talk to Cox about his newest sensation, a 3-year-old colt named Leading Change (Gun Runner), who won...

SARATOGA SPRINGS, NY--The chase continues for jockey Manny Franco. For just about all of the summer at Saratoga, Franco, along with everyone else in the jockey colony, has been on the hunt, trying to catch Jose Ortiz. Ortiz has held the top spot in the Spa riding standings for much of the meet. Now, with days dwindling down to a precious few, Ortiz is not a sure thing. Franco, like a huge tidal wave, is coming. Heading into Saturday's Travers Day card, Franco had cut Ortiz's lead to eight, 64-56....

SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. - In eight of Renegade (Into Mischief)'s nine career races, he has had the steady hands of jockey Irad Ortiz, Jr. guiding him. The band got broken up when Ortiz's Saratoga season was cut short when he was knocked out with a bruised left foot. That meant an audible had to be called by Hall of Fame trainer Todd Pletcher. He needed to get a new partner for Renegade for Saturday's Grade I, $1.25-million Travers Stakes. Enter Tyler Gaffalione. The 31-year-old rider has been handed the reins...

Grade I-winning millionaire Antiquarian (Preservationist--Lifetime Memory, by Istan) has been retired "following the discovery of a minor suspensory injury underneath his left ankle," according to Centennial Farms and its partners who campaigned the five-year-old. "The prognosis is excellent, but he will not be able to defend his title in the GI Jockey Club Gold Cup or make the Breeders' Cup Classic," read a press release sent on behalf of  Centennial. "Antiquarian owes us nothing and has been a wonderful horse for our Centennial partners and the Pletcher barn. He will...

Saratoga Maidens, Presented By Keeneland Looking a picture for the books down the lane, American History (Constitution--Bloody Point, by War Front) broke his maiden at first asking and netted himself a 'TDN Rising Star, presented by Hagyard,' at Saratoga on Saturday. The third race on the card was a loaded maiden with four entries having sales tickets that topped a million at auction. The heavy favorite was the 'Insighted' Powerline (Flightline). A $1.8-million Fasig-Tipton Saratoga Select Yearling sale grad, the Steve Asmussen trainee went off at odds of 3-5. As...

SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. - There was good news and bad news for Hall of Fame trainer Todd Pletcher on Saturday morning. The good was that Renegade (Into Mischief) sparkled in his final work before next Saturday's GI, $1.25- million Travers Stakes, covering four furlongs in :48.87 (7/23) on the main track. Now, the bad: it looks like Pletcher will have to look for a new rider for the colt, who rallied strongly late to win the GII Jim Dandy Stakes in his last race. Irad Ortiz, Jr., who has ridden...